Among the gifted
by Midsully
Summary: Long ago the gods granted a few humans with a smidgen of their power, these people are know as the gifted. Follow a young man as he travels into a city made up entirely of these gifted beings
1. VideoHistory

_Hello, and welcome aboard. This train will be traveling to the city of New Berk, one of the many gifted cities throughout the world. In case you're unfamiliar with gifted, here is a brief history of them and the cities in which most now make their homes:_

_The gifted are individuals whom have been blessed by the gods themselves with extraordinarily abilities. Each gifted is unique in the gift they receive and the power it grants them, many years ago when the first gifted was born the world believed it was the beginning of an age of superheroes, however this was soon dismissed as many gifted received abilities that were unsuitable for a life of fighting crime; after years of study the answer came in the form of Odin and Thor themselves descending to earth and proclaiming that every god in Asgard had chosen humans around the world to grace with a bit of their power. This led to the naming of these individuals as The Gifted, in time the number of gifted would increase as the existing gifted grew older and had families; at this time the gifted make up roughly 17% of the world's population. _

_As the number of gifted increased, concern arose that their abilities would begin to affect those ungifted in the workplace. This concerned was validated by several groups of people losing their jobs in favor of a single gifted who could do the same job as an entire team alone. After several deliberations the governments of the world came to an agreement: they would build cities meant exclusively for the gifted in which they are free to make the most of their abilities without worry of bias over the ungifted. These cities, such as New Berk, would be completely self sufficient just as any other city. They chose their own leaders and pillars of their communities, the only true difference is that their gifts are often used to help with these decisions. _

_All gifted cities do however have a liaison assigned by their government, an ungifted representative that works closely with the city leaders to ensure that everything within these cities is running smoothly and that the people are happy living there, should this not be the case it is that liaison's responsibility to fix any issues if possible__. There has one been one time when a liaison could not fix a problem: when the city of Uglythug decided they were better suited to run the country then the government, they attempted to conquer a nearby ungifted city and were met with a military response. The city's residents forced the military's hand and were sadly exterminated, this led to accords between the remaining cities and their governments to avoid such tragedies in the future. _

_Now lets learn about the city of New Berk, where you will be arriving shortly: New Berk is built over the ruins of what is now known as 'Old' Berk. After the breaker purge just over twenty years ago the city had been left in ruins and completely uninhabitable, however with help from the ungifted cities surrounding them the inhabitants of 'Old' Berk rebuilt their homes and bestowed its current name as a sign of faith in a fresh start. It is also the only gifted city to have open borders with the ungifted cities near it; allowing ordinary humans to visit freely and better understand the gifted society. The mayor of New Berk: Stoick Haddock has been working with the government through his liaison to open up other gifted cities to encourage better relations between gifted and ungifted, a movement that has gained a great deal of support especially in ungifted towns and cities that have gifted living among them. There will be a vote in the coming months to determine whether or not this movement will become a bill, we here with the New Berk Information Center wish him the best of luck in this venture. _

_New Berk is also one of six battle cities, in which gifted of different age groups an fight one another to increase their ranking within their ago bracket. Currently the most popular is the 17-20 bracket, where top ranked Astrid Hofferson is making waves with her undefeated record, a feat that no one has been able to achieve for their entire time in a bracket since the mayor himself. Her ability to generate a magnesium flame stream from her hands has a blinding effect on her opponents that even sunglasses cannot protect them from! Miss Hofferson has stated her goal is to be the absolute best fighter in her bracket until she finishes all the professional brackets at the age of 26, after which she plans to become a teacher and coach future fighters how to make the best of their gifts like her late uncle once did for her. We here at the NBIC wish her the best of luck at the upcoming showdowns were the best fighters from other battle cities will be traveling to New Berk in order to have friendly matches that aim to help better the connections we have with our fellow gifted around the world._

_At this time if you look out your window you will see the wonderful city that is New Berk, we will be arriving soon. If you are an ungifted or a guest gifted for the showdowns coming to visit our fair city we hope you have to grandest of trips; and if you are a gifted coming in search of a place to belong, we welcome you with open arms to what we hope is your new home. _

_Now please sit back and relax as we finish our final approach. _

The small holo screen being projected from the seat in front on him cut out. A young man, nineteen years of age looked out the window at the sprawling city the train was rapidly approaching, these cities had far more advanced technology that was constantly advancing due to those gifted with mental abilities allowing them to do years worth of research and studies in mere weeks. Holo-vision was a more recent invention, despite how it may look from the outside, the world's of gifted and ungifted were rather tightly knit together, the gifted never hoarded their advanced technology for themselves. Instead they opted to patent and sell them like any other businesses but at much more affordable prices due to the reduced staff involved in making them. The global economy was constantly improving with each new level they reached. The auburn haired teen looked down as his duffel back and backpack, pretty much everything he owned stuffed into them, he really hoped this was the right call.

Digging into his pocket the boy pulled out a piece of paper, on it was written a couple of addresses and names that his dad had left him. It had always been a promise to come here when the he was twenty, however life cruelly changed that plan through the act of some punks looking for cheap thrills. Now he was on his own and had to make the journey himself.

"Well..." the teen said to himself as he looked out at the window as they entered the city, "I guess my life is about to get much more interesting."


	2. 2

The city of New Berk was a busy one. However, living in the city her entire life meant Astrid was more than well adjusted to the hustle and bustle. There wasn't a single day that she didn't love watching the different ways people got around using their abilities, for example she could actually propel herself skyward simply by focusing her fire correctly, as a child she used to fly around her neighborhood like Rescue(Pepper Potts in Endgame) and pretend she was saving people's lives; her mother made her stop after she accidentally set Mrs. Jacobs' azalea bushes on fire.

While embarrassing for a little girl of only five, it did prompt her parents to ask her Uncle Finn to train her with her gift. Neither of theirs was overly combative like her and Finn's so they compromised, over the course of the next year Astrid became a lean mean burning machine. With training in both control and focus she was practically a pro fighter by the time she turned seven. Sadly they didn't let kids fight, minimum age was 12. Three age brackets made up battle cities: 12-16, 17-20, and 21-26. There were other brackets for older fighters, but at that point it was no longer considered professional and fighters were expected to find other means of contributing to society. Thanks to her time with Finn Astrid had already decided on opening her own dojo where she would train kids who wanted to fight like she did at their age, she had been putting a portion of her winnings away in a private saving account since she turned 14(her dad had set it up for her).

Today she was scouting possible locations for her future dojo, she wanted it located somewhere easy to find but also where it would attract attention. Her future student's safety was another factor she needed to consider, parents wouldn't be as likely to take their young ones to one of the seedier places in the city.

She had her hands outstretched and framing a building she liked the locale of, taking a few steps back she didn't see the other person trying to figure out the map on their holo-phone until the pair had crashed into each other and she landed on her back with them on top of her. "What on earth are you doing!?" Astrid demanded as she pushed the person off of her, they turned out to be a tall and lanky man, probably close to her age, with messy auburn hair, wearing a green shirt with brown jeans and apparently little coordination; "do you make a habit of walking into strangers or are you just completely incompetent at avoiding others?"

The man regained some semblance of balance and offered his hand to help her up, she slapped it away as she stood on her own, she wasn't some dainty princess that needed saving. "I'm really sorry, I'm not from around here and I think I got myself lost. Been trying to make sense of this map off my phone but no such luck I'm afraid." He flipped the holo display he'd been trying to read showing both his location and where he was trying to go, a cursory glance and Astrid could tell he was just a few blocks away from his destination. "Look it was my fault for not paying attention to where I was going, is there anything I can do to make it up to you miss? Pay for dry cleaning or pay for a meal? You name it and if I can swing it I will make it happen, you have my word." He offered while rubbing the back of his head.

Finally getting a good look at him Astrid found he was actually kinda cute, in a nerdy kind of way. And he wasn't solely responsible, so she took a calming breath. "It's not entirely your fault, I was trying to get a better view of that building over there, so tell you what; you buy my a latte and I can show you where you're trying to get and we'll call it even ok?" The man gave her a crooked smile that was disarmingly charming and nodded his head before indicating for her to lead the way, clearly still lost. "I'm Astrid by the way, and you are?"

"Oh how rude of me. My name is Hiccup, and yes that's my actual name and I've heard all the jokes, trust me." He responded and then quickly exposited when he saw her mouth start to open with an evil grin starting to form. The pair walked about two blocks south, Astrid pointing out areas of interest and explaining history involved as they went.

Ingerman Coffee was a small family owned business that belonged to her friend's parents. Walking in the door the blonde immediately spotted the husky shape of Fishlegs delivering coffee to a group seated at a table in the corner. The two new acquaintances approached the counter where Astrid's best friend and roommate Heather Zerker was working; Astrid often delighted in tormenting the poor girl about her crush on Fishlegs. "Hey Heath, I'll have my usual and whatever this guy orders, it's on him." She said startling the other girl out of her trance of staring at Fish and jerked her thumb at Hiccup who waved awkwardly. The dark haired girl observed the taller teen and quirked an eyebrow at her with a mischievous gleam in her eye, the same one she got when she last tried to set Astrid up on a blind date(that ended with the man's pants burnt in the buttock area).

Hiccup perused the menu and eventually just settled on black coffee with two creams and sugars, he then asked if their was a restroom to wash his hands in. Heather directed him to the left side of the store and pounced the moment he was out of earshot. "So Ast, bringing random cute guys by to have them treat you to coffee now? When's the wedding?" Sometimes Astrid's lack of interest in dating was a real pain in the backside.

"Don't get your hopes up Heather, we kinda toppled over each other while I was scouting locations for my future business, he wanted to do something to apologize and I'm gonna show him to the place he was trying to find, apparently he's not from the city. Besides, this way I still get my caffeine fix, feel free to charge him full price." She explained as an extra sugary drink was placed in front of her, complete with chocolate shavings and sprinkles.

"He's from outside the city?" Heather asked with interest, "I know we get the occasional tourist but those bags suggest he's not leaving anytime soon, think he's a gifted looking to move here?" The thought hadn't occurred to Astrid yet, the young man had been absorbed in her stories of the history on the way unlike anyone else she'd ever met, Fish was a nerd too, but history wasn't his area of interest.

They heard the restroom door open again as his coffee was finished and he paid for them without even blinking even though Astrid's 'caffeine abomination' as Heather had dubbed it, was one of the most expensive items available. Astrid had expected him to head for the door but surprisingly he slid into a chair at the table she typically preferred, where one could see some of the more artful architecture in all its grandeur.

"So anything else you care to tell me about the buildings around here? Or any interesting history tidbits that stand out?" He asked with genuine interest, but what Astrid assumed was him trying to open up an opportunity to flirt.

"You don't have to do that, I know I get a bit caught up in it all, but I love my city and I wanted to know everything about when I was younger; call it a backup plan in case my first business venture doesn't work out." Astrid said, she'd been given the runaround by one too many guys faking interest in hopes of one thing or another.

"No seriously, that battle of Nadder Park you were telling me about? I felt like I was there, watching it first hand. The way you described everything from the first spine shot to the final blow at the center where the remembrance fountain is? I wish I had someone as passionate as you for a history teacher in school." Hiccup said excitedly, constantly gesturing with his hands as if they had a mind of their own had her smirking without her permission. And so she relented and pointed out a particularly odd shaped building resembling a shark's fin and began on the backstory for its design.

A few minutes later Astrid checked her phone and realized they'd in fact been talking for an hour and a half. Hiccup hadn't seemed to notice or be bothered by it, the whole time asking questions about the stories she had been telling and in return telling her about some strange story involving a building back in his home town. It had been a long time since anyone who wasn't Heather had spent this kind of time just talking to her about anything other than her fighting career, she really liked it.

Sadly for her, this enjoyment had to come to an end. And it did so in the form of Snotlout Jorgenson.

The stout man waltzed in with his usual air of arrogance, he knew Astrid preferred this coffee shop due to Heather's employment and the Ingerman's willingness to ply her with caffeine. That combined with her preferred spot at the window meant he could always tell when she was in for a drink. Snotlout approached the pair at the table, but completely ignored Hiccup's existence in order to focus his attention on Astrid. "Hey there babe, needed some sugar? You know you could've always called me and I'd have been more than happy to provide you with all the sweetness you need." He said with a wink and attempted casual flexing of his muscles. Granted he was physically strong, but he'd let that go to his head and believed himself the god's gift to women as well as being a gifted himself. Astrid started with her usual scoff and glare, depending no the day that could be all she needed to shut him up. This was not one of those days.

Without a shred of remorse Snot shoved Hiccup our of his seat and sat himself there across from her trying to make what she guessed were bedroom eyes(personally Astrid thought he just had dust in his eyes), "So what do you say we get our drinks to go and I take you out on a night you'll never forget?"

"Gods, Snotlout we've been over this a billion times. I have no interest in dating you! Get that through your incredibly thick skull already!" Astrid fumed as she stood to help Hiccup stand as he appeared to be struggling a bit, had Snotlout used the natural enhanced strength that all gifted to hurt him?

"You're just saying that because you know if you do then you'll be head over heels babe. But if you become my girl you wouldn't have to worry about holding the top spot in the fighting bracket, I'll be number 1 soon anyway..." Snotlout replied with his ever present smugness, lacing his fingers behind his head as he did. He turned his head to her and finally managed to notice the auburn hair man she was next to. "Hey buddy I'll take a mocha-cino with extra cocoa, and make it snappy will ya? I'd hate to make Fishface over there actually work for a change."

Astrid was turning red with anger at Snot's higher than usual dismissive attitude towards everyone, whether this was a result of his being more of an ass than usual or just him interrupting her enjoyable conversation would be a subject for debate later. However before she could twist his arm and threaten him into apologizing, Hiccup stepped forward. The young man picked up what was left of his now cold coffee and made sure he and the shorter man were looking at one another. "First off, I don't work here, second I was the sitting there for a reason until your rudely shoved me out of the seat, and third I believe Astrid made it perfectly clear that's she isn't interested." Hiccup said as he lifted the cup and dumped the remaining eighth of the drink on Snotlout's head.

With his hair and outfit now drenched in coffee Snotlout jumped to his feet as his face turned red, the liquid starting to steam as he up his body temperature with his ability. "Do you not know who I am wise guy!?" He shouted trying his best to get in Hiccup's face despite the near foot difference in their heights. The noise was drawing the attention of all the other patrons, some recognized Snot and rolled their eyes before turning back to their orders while others began to pull out their phones in hope that they will get a viral video out of the coming minutes.

Hiccup looked down at the man with disinterest, "Actually no I don't. I just got into New Berk today and don't know anyone, I actually only met Astrid here by accident and since we cleared the air she's been very kind and helpful. And I can tell you need me to know who you are, so please inform me."

"I'm Snotlout Jorgenson! Currently one of the top five ranked fighters in the 17-20 age bracket and soon to be champion? The upcoming showdowns are going to be my moment of glory when I show myself the best, most manly competitor there!" Snotlout arrogantly proclaimed, Astrid was glaring at him again while Hiccuo merely quirked an eyebrow as of to ask if he should be impressed.

"Right well since you've effectively killed the conversation Astrid and I were having I think it's time we took our leave. I need to get to that shop before it closes anyway and seem to have lost track of time," Hiccup said in a dry tone before turning to Astrid who was about to apologize; "and please don't apologize for taking that time; honestly it was the most enjoyable talk I've had in months." He offered her his hand like he did when they fell over each other, Astrid notes he was left handed "Are you still willing to show time how to get there? If not that's ok, I really appreciate you getting me this much closer anyway." She looked at him and smirked, then took his hand.

As they left the establishment Snotlout made to follow them with a scowl, but was stopped by Heather and Mrs. Ingerman who had her arms crossed, without a word Heather thrust a mop into his hands and pointed to the seat he'd recently vacated and the coffee that had spilled on it, the table and the floor. He grumbled as he reluctantly cleaned the mess up causing both women to smirk as they watched Astrid and Hiccup strolling down the sidewalk.

Astrid brushed some of her fringe away from her eyes as she and Hiccup walked down the street. It wasn't lost on her that they hadn't let go of each other hand yet even though Snotlout was stuck back at Ingerman Coffee thanks to Heather who gave her a look and a wink as they left to convey her best wishes in what Astrid assumed meant 'landing the guy' and now she wasn't sure if it was as ridiculous as she initially thought. "So that Snotlout guy was a fighter huh?" Hiccup roused her from her musings. Seeing him glance at her caused an unfamiliar heat to blossom across her cheeks and she snapped her face forward and nodded, hoping the sunset could mask the blush. "He mentioned your had a rank too, please tell me you can kick his ass because I get the notion he deserves to get smacked around on occasion.

Astrid smiled brightly, she didn't like to brag often, but who wouldn't want to show off a bit that they could put that muttonhead in his place. "Actually yes I can, I wasn't to going to mention it because I don't know how aware you are of how the system works. I'm currently ranked number one in my age bracket, I was the same back in the 12-16 level as well. I actually think that's part of the reason Snot is desperate to make me fawn over him..." Astrid paused to make a face at the very idea, "he thinks if I were suddenly all in love that I'd be less of a threat in the fights. Fat chance of that happening."

Hiccup balked for a second then studied her as if she were a rare find, "Wait. You're Astrid Hofferson? You were mentioned on the infomercial on the train ride into the city! Wow; now I really feel bad about walking into you, I'd hate it if my cluelessness had injured you in some way and cost you your top spot. The video mentioned you want to go on and train others, and I think teaching is a noble pursuit; and after meeting you and talking about the city's history, I'd say you're definitely suited for it." He said with a smile that caused the heat to spread across Astrid's face again

Five minutes later the pair stood in front of Hiccup's destination: The Forge Auto Shop. "This place used to belong to my dad..." Hiccup said in a sad voice, "if the guy he left it to still owns it I just might have a job here with everything he taught me." Letting out a nervous breath he turned to Astrid and finally they released each other's hand, only for him to stick it out again to shake hers. "Thank you for everything, the history, the talk, and the great coffee. I really hope I'm not overstepping any lines by saying this but; I'd really like to see you again."

Astrid barely had time to register what he said before she was smiling and nodding her head. They exchanged numbers and bid each other good-bye before she took off in the direction of her apartment; maybe, just maybe Heather wasn't too far off the mark with this guy.

Hiccup entered the shop and looked around, the setup wasn't much different from the one he'd grown up spending time in. The cars were obviously more advanced, but he reckoned that he could still fix nearly all of them if he was asked. Following the sounds of tools in use he soon found a person leaning under the hood of a car, his coveralls were oil stained and a rag was hanging from the pocket where the name patch was so Hiccup couldn't see the man's name. After a minute of waiting while the man seemed to search for the solution to his problem Hiccup cleared his throat. The man jumped a bit, hitting his head on the underside of the hood before backing up a pace and standing properly while rubbing the back of his head. His black hair was slicked back and pulled into a ponytail and the blue tattoos on his chin stood out prominently on his skin.

Spotting Hiccup there in his shop the man spoke, "What are you doing back here? All customers are supposed to ring the service bell at the counter, not just mosey on back when the mood strike them." He removes the rag from his breast pocket and wiped a bit of grease from his brow and revealing the name 'Eret'.

"Actually I'm not a customer." Hiccup explained, "I came here looking for a job, my dad always said you'd be willing to give me a shot when I moved here."

Eret looked hot up and down, sure he didn't exactly fit the typical expectation of a grease monkey, but Hiccup knew his way around a garage and engine. "Look I could use another guy to work mornings, but I can't just take any ole kid who walks in. You need to not only know the parts and theory, but how to put those into practice. Maybe join an auto shop class or something then we can talk."

"Or maybe I could fix the issue you're stuck on, think I can see the problem now that you're not blocking my view." Hiccup retorted while grabbing a wrench and diving in, all the while ignoring Eret's slightly offended look. A few minutes later he stood back up and gave the bigger man a challenging look, prompting him to try turn the ignition and the engine turning over. After pressing the accelerator a few times to ensure it could run, Eret flipped the engine off and looked at Hiccup with a face that could only be described as fascination.

"How'd you know to do that? I've only known one man who was that quick with a fix and he could create any tool in his left arm..."

Hiccup gave a sad smile before answering. "Gobber. He was my dad...". He pause for a moment to take a deep breath and missed Eret's eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. "He taught me everything I know and wanted to come back here when he thought I was ready. But it's just me now, he left me his old flat here in the city and a generous inheritance; but I always dreamed of working here with him. It may only be half that dream, but If you'll have me I'll show you he didn't skip anything when teaching me around a garage."

"Gobber's boy eh? Well what kind of man would I be if I didn't offer my old mentor's kid a job when he asks!? I'm sure you'll pull your weight around here and make the old dodger proud." Eret shouted with an air of excitment mixed with sorrow at the implication Hiccup's words and tone gave, "What's your gift anyway? Need to know in case of any incidents that could end up involving the police, city policy."

Hiccup cringed at the question "I'm actually not gifted, regular old human. Sorry, I should probably mention I'm adopted, I realize that might affect your opinion of me. I don't think about it most of the time because Gobber always said blood or no-"

"Family is family." Eret finished for him. "That right there tells me that you are his son, he once talked about wanting to be a father one day and that if he had to adopt then that's what he would tell them if they needed to hear it." Eret took Hiccup's arm and shook it. The two men then went into the office area to discuss Hiccup's hours and when he'd be starting.


	3. 3

A few days after meeting Astrid and her helping him find both a great coffee shop and Gobber's old garage, Hiccup found himself at New Berk's local cemetery. Finding the particular person's resting place was harder than he thought it would be, having not realized just how big the cemetery was when he left. So he continued to aimlessly walk down the aisles of graves hoping to spot the name he was looking for; until he bumped into someone visiting a grave themselves.

"Oh gods, I'm so sorr... Astrid?" Hiccup asked in bewilderment at seeing the blonde again in such a place. They had actually texted the evening before and made plans to get more coffee before Astrid showed him around more of the city so he could get a better grasp of where he was in the future.

Maintaining her own balance and hiding her surprise as well she looked at him with a face that was equal parts annoyance and humor, "Hiccup? What are you doing here? And could you ever just greet people or do you take the term running into each other literally?" The pair smiles at one another, hiccup mentally thanking Thor she wasn't snapping at him like she did upon their initial meeting.

"Well I try not to most times, you must bring it out of me." The woman gave him a light punch in the arm for his sarcasm. "But I'm actually trying to find someone buried here. My dad was friends with her and she passed not long after he moved away, he couldn't make it back for the funeral and then he was raising me and worried about bringing a young ungifted into the city. It was something he had planned to do when we moved back, so I wanted to come pay respects on his behalf."

Astrid gave a sad smile, this boy was really too sweet for a city like New Berk; here he was trying to find the grave of a woman his father knew and never got the chance to visit and he came to do it himself. "Well I was just paying my late uncle Finn a visit, today would've been his and my aunt's anniversary; so I made the trip. If you want, you can accompany me and then I'll see if I can help you find your person?"

The lopsided grin that spread on his face honestly had no right to be as cute as she thought it was. "I'd really like that, I'll buy you lunch tomorrow as thanks. Seems like all I do when we meet is use you as a personal gps." He said with a chuckle, prompting Astrid to giggle as well, something that was very out of character for her.

"Careful there Hiccup, I might think you're trying to turn it into a date."

The blush that spread stood out starkly on his light cheeks. "Yeah, I wouldn't try that. I'm nowhere near that lucky." He muttered the last bit, but Astrid heard it all the same.

"Wouldn't say that just yet." she whispered to herself. The two soon found themselves in front of a tombstone with her uncles name and an image of a police badge engraved upon it. Astrid Bowes her head sent thanks to the required gods and left a small bouquet of flowers she'd had with her, another fresh bouquet was already present telling her that her aunt had been by earlier. As she stood again ready to help Hiccup her new friend stepped forward and placed a hand on the marker.

"Mr. Hofferson, I didn't know you and you didn't know me; but I've had to good fortune to have met Astrid recently and think you'd be proud of the kind young woman she is today. She's only known me a short time but already been an amazing friend, Rest In Peace." He spike in a hushed tone as if he were speaking to the spirit of her uncle in that moment. Hearing his kind words about her caused her own blush to form; she managed to get I under control while he was saying his own prayers for her uncle.

Without thinking she punched his upper arm lightly, "That's for talking to deceased strangers,". Astrid said before wiping some fringe from over her eyes, then she quickly grabbed his shirt by the collar and hauled him close so she could place a quick peck on his cheek. "That was... for everything you said." When she gathered her wits and looked at him again, his face was beet red and his eyes somewhat glossed over. Clearing her throat to regain his attention she decided to get thing back on track. "So..." she said as he stood, hoping that her blush was gone should he look in her direction. "You said you were looking for someone here as well? What's her name, maybe I've seen it before on one of my trips to visit uncle Finn."

Hiccup shook his head and seemed to get brain function running again. "Oh right, of course, yeah...". He stumbled for words, sure he had thought Astrid was beau and amazing, but never in a thousand years did he think he'd even receive a thank you kiss on the cheek from her. "Her name is Valka. Valka Haddock, does that ring any bells?" The girls reaction spike volumes.

"Does it ring any bells!? Valka Haddock is the mayors late wife! Your dad was friends with her?" She asked loudly in astonishment. Hiccup had been aware of the significance of being friends with the mayor, but maybe things are different in a gifted city.

"Yes? Is the mayor Stoick Haddock? Because that's another person my dad wanted me to meet, said he couldn't wait to show them how great he was as a father. Apparently everyone thought I'd turn out crazy of something." Hiccup answered while rubbing the back of his head, in truth Gobber had just wanted his friends to meet his son, but he always joked like they expected Hiccup was going to be a poorly made robot.

Astrid continued to stare at him as if he grew a second head. Valka has passed less than a month after she'd been born; and for her entire life Stoick was a professional man. Professional, but not someone she'd imagine having friends; it was all business with him and he only treated the top ranked fighters with a degree of respect. In fact, while Astrid respected the man and his position, she preferred to keep her distance when possible. "Well I've never been to it before but everyone knows where Mrs. Haddock's grace is. The mayor practically had a memorial built for her." She explained before heading for a building towards the center of the cemetery.

The building was pure white, consistently being cleaned twice a week, and inside were two raised platforms. On one was a casket, with a plexiglass cover preserving Valka, the other larger one was empty; a place for when Stoick joined his wife in Valhalla.

The two young adults stopped outside the gate before the building, Astrid turned to Hiccup to explain. "This is as close as I can get you unfortunately, the mayor only wanted family to enter. Well he said family and close friends, but I've never known him to have any." Hiccup grasped the bars of the gate and looked inside, a sadness passed over his face before his features hardened in resolve and he turned to her.

"Well according to dad they were the best of friends, so I'll just adjust my plans. I'll find a way to meet with Mayor Haddock and after I've told him about dad and my intentions, maybe he'll let me pay respects to his late wife for my father." Hiccup responded with an air of determination that Astrid couldn't help but believe it would work out in the end; and she could help him once more with this one.

"Well then, if that's the case I guess you'll owe me lunch and dinner because I can get you in the same room as him." Astrid said smugly as she crossed her arms and smiled at him. "There a dinner tomorrow night at the mayor's house and top ranked fighters have standing invitations to all his parties, with a plus one." Dropping her arms and taking a leap of faith, she gave him her best romantic look she could muster. "So, wanna be my date?"

Hiccup's face turned so red that Astrid was worried there was no blood left in the rest of his body, he nodded dumbly and began to sway as his balance began to fail to due lack of oxygen and blood. Astrid managed to catch him and her laughter seemed to cure his condition. Joint her as her used the gate to steady himself, he took her hand and brought it to his lips. "It would be an honor to accompany you M'lady." He said before delivering a swift peck on the back of her hand.

—————

Hiccup and Astrid stepped out of the Drver car that they had called for outside of the mayor's home. It was as extravagant as it was large, Astrid he said the man was build as if a bear and a mountain had a child, but Hiccup didn't think that extended to his home. Playing the part of a gentleman like his father had taught him, Hiccup had held the car door open for Astrid and closed it before offering her his arm, which as she smiling brightly as she lace her own through it. Clearly there were several high profile types in attendance, but Astrid's presence seemed to spark quiet a bit of murmuring.

"I'm guess you don't come to these events often?" Hiccup whispered just loud enough for his date to hear, "Everyone's been looking at us since you stepped out of the car."

The beautiful blonde was dolled up in a satin red dress that accentuated her build in all the best ways, every man in the vicinity couldn't take his eyes off her except to glare at the man whose arm she was on. Astrid smiled at him and answered no the same whisper, "True, I don't usually come to these get together a unless necessary; but I'm pretty sure it's because of you that they're looking. The few time I have come it was always alone and I rejected every man's offer to dance, so I imagine that me bringing you as a date likely has them all scratching their heads." They shared a chuckle as the doors to the atrium opened and revealed the rest of the party to them, people were already dancing and other were eating; however the majority were simply grouped together steeped in conversation. As they looked around for a bit Astrid spotted Stoick right away, the man was easily the largest man present. Hiccup noticed her attention on one group and quickly deduced that the half giant with the flaming red beard was mayor Stoick Haddock, but the evening was young and he had promised himself that he would do one thing before he met with the man.

"Astrid, would you care to dance?" He asked her and offered her his hand.

Astrid gave him a confused look before glancing back at Stoick, "I thought you came to talk to Stoick?"

The auburn hair man looked her in the eyes so she could see his sincerity. "I did, but I'd never forgive myself if I didn't dance with the most beautiful woman at this party, if not in the entire city." He said, not bothering to hide the rush of blood to his face. Astrid's was likely a palette match despite layer of makeup she chose to employ for the occasion, but she saw and heard the genuine emotion in his eyes and voice and took his hand without a second's thought.

The couple made their way onto the dance floor as an older song about the lengths a man would go to for the hand of the woman he loved and her only needing him. It was a song for married couples; but the two danced along anyway, eyes never leaving the other and despite odds they moved perfectly in sync. The song finished and another began while the they continued to hold one another, Astrid barely even noticed when she rested her head of Hiccup's shoulder when a slower song came on and they moved even closer together to move appropriately to the music.

After four songs the pair finally parted and looked at one another, not thinking had done wonders so far that night so Astrid chose to keep the pattern going and stood on her toes and brought her lips to Hiccup's. A second later she was about to pull away when she felt the lightest of touches on her lower back and cheek as the kiss was returned. The kiss didn't escalate from there, they pulled back and a stared at the other, both with darkened eyes. A loud round laughter cut the moment short as a group of men seemed to been listening to a work story from one of them.

Hiccup inhaled before regrettably stepping back so rational thought could once again be possible, Astrid had a effect of him that he couldn't put into words; but he hoped she wouldn't come to regret that kiss.

Astrid cleared her throat and managed to regain her complexion before suggesting they find the mayor so Hiccup could speak with him. He agreed and was pleasantly surprised when she took his hand and intertwined their fingers, he took it as a good sign. It wasn't hard to find the man in question, ah he stood a head over everyone else there. A small line had formed to talk with him as if he were a celebrity of some sort, so the pair jumped in and waited their turn.

It took some time, as everyone was vying for the mayor's attention; but Hiccup valiantly retrieved a couple drinks and a plate of canapés for them while a particularly chatty couple tried to butter the man up for something he clearly had not interest in. Finally after nearly twenty minutes of waiting they found themselves in front of the aptly nicknamed Stoick 'The Vast'.

"Astrid Hofferson! Gracing is with your presence, and as quite the vision this evening." Stoick proclaimed while taking the smaller woman hand and kissing it in greeting, he turned his attention to Hiccup beside her. "And who is this that you have with you? As I recall you've never brought a guest with you, and certainly never danced like I saw the two of you doing earlier." He asked while shaking his hand.

"My name is Hiccup Smithy. I believe you were friends with my dad; Gobber?" Hiccup introduced himself, causing Stoick to freeze and look him over with a critical eye. Knowing what the man was thinking, Hiccup answered his next question before it was asked. "He adopted me shortly after he left New Berk. I was orphaned as a new born and according to him; dad just felt that it was the will of the gods that he take me in and raise me."

Stoick's eyes were wide as he began to search the room, "Gobber? Is that old man back!? Where is he? Ah we have so much to catch up on!" He asked in rapid succession, many hadn't seen the mayor so lively in years. It didn't take long for Stoick to notice the sad smile on the lad's face, or the gorgeous blonde placing one hand on his shoulder while the other rubbing his back in a comforting manner; he quickly put the pieces together.

"Oh... oh I see." He said as his shoulders sunk and a heavy breath left his lungs. "Why don't you come to my study, it's quieter there and I'd like to know; if it's not too hard on you of course." The young man shook his head and the pair followed the mayor to another set of large doors, he held them open as they approached when Astrid stopped and faced Hiccup.

"Why don't you go ahead? This seems like a private matter." She suggested while squeezing his hand, "I'll wait for you back at the party. Ok?"

Hiccup nodded and gave her a hug in thanks and whispered in her ear, "Please don't leave without me. I'd like one more dance and have a question I need to ask you." The feeling of his breath caused a shiver to run down her spine as she agreed and returned to the noise downstairs. Hiccup watched her until she turned the corner then entered the study where Stoick waited patiently with a knowing smirk on his face. The teens reminded him so much of himself and Valka when they'd been young and falling in love.

After the doors had shut, Stoick walked over to a cabinet where he kept a decanter of scotch and poured himself a glass; figuring he'd need it. "Alright lad, tell me what happened. In whatever detail you can."

A half hour later the men men exited the study, Stoick had finished the glass of scotch as well as three more over the course of hearing about the loss of his dear friend. Hiccup had told him about his intentions to visit Valka's grave and his unsuccessful attempt to the day prior, he didn't even get the chance to ask before the mayor offered to meet him there the following Saturday to let him in; touched that the boy Gobber raised would go through that kind of effort to pay the last respects that the old mechanic never could on his behalf. He remembered back when Valka and he were discussing starting a family how Gobber claimed he mwould make a great parent and how Stoick playfully rebuffed him; the man was never more happy to see he was wrong.

It took a few minutes after rejoining the party, but Hiccup managed to locate Astrid at a table near the dance floor. Unfortunately for them both she was being harassed by none other than the shirt and stocky fighter that had interrupted they're chat I'm at the coffee house. The look on Astrid's face left little to be questioned, her scowl seeming to be a permanent fixture there. Annoyed that this guy was bothering her yet again when just a little while ago she was smiling so brightly Hiccup was sure the sun would forever seem dimmer in completely, he marched up behind Snotlout. As he got closer he could just hear what the man was saying, "Come on babe, you know you'll never do better than me. One dance and you'll be so in awe of me you just might beg me to marry you right then and there."

Rolling his eyes, Hiccup chose to abandon subtlety and just deliver the most effective non-physical blow he could think of. He marched up the Snotlout and bodily shouldered him out of the way, and offered his hand to a surprised Astrid. Quickly wiping away her look of surprise she took his hand and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet and onto the dance floor, briefly seeing Snotlout's flabbergasted look. Then Astrid must have decided to up the pain by wrapping her arms around Hiccup's neck and giving him a quick kiss before rest her head on his chest and swaying to the music. Both managed to keep their eyes half lidded and saw Snotlout stomp off with a huff.

"So this doesn't quiet count as that last dance since it was mainly to get rid of Snot, think you can go one more after this?" Astrid asked, her head remaining on his chest simply listening to his beating heart, she smiled when it picked up in sped before she felt his head nod against hers.

"I wouldn't mind dancing here with you all night if you wanted." Hiccup responded in a low voice meant for just them to hear. He blushed, but refused to look away, despite only having recently met he felt drawn to Astrid in a way he couldn't describe. Unbeknownst to him that very same thought was going through her mind as well, but her own blush and refusal to break eye contact was enough for him in that moment.

"Well you said you had something to ask me, now seems like a pretty good time to." Astrid reminded him while pulling herself closer to him so that their bodies were flush against one another.

"I did." Hiccup smiles at her. "I know that we've only just met and have known each other less than a week, but after I've visited Mrs. Haddock's grave I'll have done everything that I wanted to in honor of my dad. So I was hoping that after I'm done that you might like to go on a real date? Not one as a favor, just a guy taking a girl he likes out to dinner and maybe a movie?"

The smile that Hiccup found blinding in the best way came out again. "Hiccup I'd-". Astrid began being suddenly cut herself off as she cringed harshly and grabbed the sides of her head and losing her balance. Hiccup caught her and slowly lowered them both til he was on his knees and was about to call for help when he noticed that everyone around him was doing the same action. The men and woman surrounding them were all writhing on the ground grabbing at their heads, some hitting them as if trying to stop a buzzing in their ear. Hiccup turned his focus back to Astrid and covered her ears with his hands and she seemed to calm slightly, but she still writhed in some form of pain.

It was then that Hiccup heard the doors burst open and a group dressed in black wearing ski masks entered. He may have lived in a small town with his father as the only gifted within a two hundred mile radius, but Hiccup didn't need to have a gift to recognize a burglary when he saw one.

**A/N: normally I abhor cliffhangers, but I want you all to suffer for a bit. Please no hunting me down, my wife will throw a cat at your face. That said reviews are much appreciated as it lets me know how your enjoying the story so far. And before anyone asks, yes I'll eventually give the actual story of Gobber's death, it's all planned out but the time is not right yet. **

**Also when I finish one of the three stories I currently have going there are ideas for the next one; and I'm letting you the readers choose which one it'll be. There's the Digimon one, a Gundam one, a Gundam build fighters(and yes it's a completely different story), a divorced Hiccstrid(that leads to them reconnecting, chill) and finally the Hiccup not knowing he's afather fic. Feel free to give your thoughts on any or all of these. Toodooles **


	4. 4

Sometimes Hiccup swore the gods hate him. One moment he's asking the most beautiful woman he's ever set eyes on out on a proper date, and the next some assholes are somehow causing everyone but him pain and taking people's jewelry and other valuables. And he's pretty sure Astrid was about to say 'yes' too! There were only three men, all wearing completely black outfits and ski masks so their identities were concealed; the two going around taking anything of monetary value were wearing some form of ear protection similar to what one would wear at a gun range. The remaining member of the entourage didn't wear any protective gear on his ears, but did stand at a distance from any of the guests and was constantly doing something with his hand.

Hiccup was getting concerned, because Astrid was still groaning as if in pain and he had no idea how to help her; his hands over her ears only seemed to lessen the pain slightly.

"Hey boss!" A voice shouted from beside him, the young man looked up to find one of the members of the group standing over him. "This one isn't down like the rest! I thought the new guy's gift was suppose to leave all the people not wearing ear protection in pain?" Hiccup rescinded his thought about the gods hating him, and thanked them for stupid criminals. So everyone had been affected by the use of a gift, maybe the one with the fidgety hands?

"You idiot!" The other collector of valuables shouted, stomping over to the first man and whacking him upside head with a great deal of force. "Now we have to deal with him! This was supposed to be an easy score with no mess, and now we gotta make sure they can't trace this job back to our guy!" The leader turned his attention to Hiccup who was still holding Astrid's ears to lessen her pain. "How are you not bothered by his gift anyway? We had to have these earmuffs specially made to filter out the frequency his fingers create."

So... fidgety hands was the one incapacitating everyone. Gently, Hiccup laid Astrid down. "Well... and this is just a guess now. Maybe it only affects other gifted? I'm not one myself so perhaps that's it?" Hiccup gave an educated guess. The two men looked at one another before turning to fidgety hands who merely shrugged; an ungifted in gifted cities outside tourist season are like finding shiny Pokémon in the wild, it doesn't happen often.

"Well maybe that is the reason, but it doesn't change the fact that we have to deal with yous." The first man, Hiccup decided to dub Muggsy, said. The leader and Muggsy both reached for Hiccup at the same time, they never expected the lithe man to shoot forward through their arms and clothesline them both.

The element of surprise was always a favorite of his, and it worked gloriously in this situation. The two were laid out and the leader let out a gasp indicating the wind had been knocked out of him. Hiccup took advantage of their confusion to charge head first for fidgety hands and tackle him. The man clearly wasn't used to having to actually defend himself thanks to his gift leaving others unable to fight back. Acting on the momentum his actions gave, Hiccup quickly rolled and put fidgety hands into a sleeper hold; he hoped getting the man to stop using his gift would allow the other guests to regain their strength. While not intended, the man stopped fidgeting with his hands in order to try and get Hiccup to release his grip; allowing Hiccup to notice the partygoers were no longer grabbing at their heads and the worst were only disoriented.

The leader had managed to regain his breath and approached the struggling pair. "Alright, I was gonna make this nice and painless for you, but now I'm gonna make it hur-arrgh!"

The man was cut off as a stream of intense heat lit up the right side of his body. Hiccup followed the source back to a slightly unkempt and very angry Astrid. Muggsy had been quietly trying to gather what he could during the scuffle, hoping they could still turn a profit from this disaster of a burglary; unfortunately for him a large shadow loomed over him as the mayor stood. The thief couldn't even begin to think about attacking before Stoick opened his mouth and let out a loud shout that produced a concussive wave, sending Muggsy soaring across the room.

Astrid had a much more... hands on approach to dealing with the leader. That is to say she was currently holding him by the collar with one hand while repeatedly punching his face with the other. Hiccup was a mixture of entranced and terrified; so much so that he didn't even notice that fidgety hands had passed out.

"YOU SON OF A HALF TROLL!" The blonde shouted, every other word punctuated with a punch. "HE HAD JUST ASKED ME OUT ON A PROPER DATE AND YOU RUINED THE MOMENT BEFORE I COULD ANSWER!" At some point the leader had lost consciousness, but the furious woman kept punching his face as she ranted. A soft yet firm grip on her wrist stopped her 127th punch and had her whirling around ready to take on the next person, only to find Hiccup there with a small smile on his face. It was only then she registered that she had gone a tad overboard, if the blood on her knuckles was any indication. She also noted mayor Haddock nearby leaving the other two members of the group in a heap while several guests were on the phones calling the police. With a good deal of effort she released her grip on the man that she'd been pummeling and allowed the mayor to add him to the pile of criminals.

"Well..." Stoick began, "That was certainly unexpected." The guests around them all chuckled, mostly to shake off the nerves from the ordeal. Turning his attention back to the young couple he addressed Hiccup directly. "I must say I'm surprised, an ungifted attacking one person with a gift is often foolhardy, but attacking two at once and then a third? If I'd had any doubts about you being Gobber's son, they'd be gone now." The mayors said as he held his large hand out for Hiccup to shake.

Looking at the offered hand for a few seconds, Hiccup slowly grasped the man's hand and shook it. "Well after he learned I had a few bullies in school, dad insisted I learn some form of self defense. I'm no expert, but I can handle myself alright; but he always drilled it into me that I was not to be the one to escalate the situation... can't help but feel I broke that rule tonight."

Feeling both Astrid's smaller hand and Stoick's much larger one on his shoulders he looked at both and found fond smiles on their faces. "I knew Gobber for many years lad, believe me when I say that he'd be proud of what you did here tonight. The men came to rob and possibly hurt people, and you put a stop to that. Your father was one of the best men I've ever known, I think you will stand there with him should you decide to stick around." The auburn haired man looked at his father's best friend, and nodded with a small smile. Stoick clapped his hands together before he returned to attending to the other guests, helping them find who owned which piece of jewelry or wallet.

Astrid slid her hand into his and squeezed it reassuringly. Hand in hand they walked out of the manor, Hiccup's impromptu day saving had disrupted the burglars plans before either had anything taken. Hopefully having several dozen witnesses and the mayor present at the time of the incident would mean the police would have no reason to need to talk with them. Not long after they got out the door and put in a request for a Drver to come pick them up, a thought occurred to Hiccup.

"Umm... Hey Astrid?" The blonde in question turned toward him, the soft smile still on her face as she looked at him. "Before all that happened back there... Well I never actually got an answer..."

A light punch landed on his bicep, it wasn't a hard hit but he feigned injury anyway to earn a grin from the beauty standing next to him. "Muttonhead, obviously I'd be thrilled to go on a proper date with you." She stated before her small faltered and let out a groan. "The showdowns are this week, it's part of the reason this party was tonight. Some of the top ranked fighters came to New Berk early and the mayor always wants to show our strength with a feast, our Viking descent on full display."

A hand on her upper arm returned her attention to the taller man she was with. "That's perfectly fine, Stoick said he couldn't meet me to visit his wife's grave until Friday night anyway. We can have our date next weekend if you're feeling up to it's free your fights, could double as a celebration for your victory." Green eyes sparkled as they gazed into blue, matching smiles beaming at one another. Astrid wasn't sure who moved first or if they both did in sync, but their lips met again and proved that the kiss from before their night was interrupted wasn't a result of the atmosphere of the party. The moment their lips touched she felt a jolt run through her entire body as if every nerve was lit up with a fire she'd never experienced before.

Astrid was positive she could've spent the entire night kissing him there on the curb, but unfortunately a honk from the Drver they'd ordered caused them to jump apart. With a blush he made no attempt to hide, Hiccup opened the car's back door for her to climb in. Just as he was about to follow her in a shout of his name caught his attention; the mayor was standing in front of his home with a pair of officers, he could easily guess where this was going. Turning back to Astrid he took her hand and bid her 'goodnight' while leaving a kiss on the back of her hand, before shutting the door and approaching the men waiting to speak with him.

Part of Astrid was upset that he kissed her hand and not her lips again, only the barely functioning logistic portion of her brain noted that if he had they'd likely have to be pried apart with a crowbar. Accepting the truth, Astrid leaned back and sighed happily at the thought that she had a real date with him in a week.

She shot up and realized she had a real date with Hiccup in a week. Fumbling to retrieve her phone from her small purse, Astrid quickly called her roommate/best friend. Heather answered with a tired greeting, evidence she'd passed out on the couch again came in the form of a bad Disney remake playing in the background. "Heather call in sick tomorrow! Hiccup asked me on a real date next weekend and I need something nice to wear!"

—————

"While I appreciate you bringing coffee every morning, don't think it's gonna get you out of me asking about this girl you've been dreaming about all day." Eret elbowed Hiccup in the ribs to jostle his focus back to the present. Admittedly the auburn hair man had been replaying both kisses with Astrid on a loop since he had woken up that morning, but he wasn't too worried about it; he'd still managed to change the oil in three cars and fix the carburetor for another.

"I told you before, you just don't want to believe me." Hiccup retorted with a smile that a few weeks ago would've been out of place on his face, but Astrid had somehow made it seem right.

"I meant the truth! I mean, you expect me and everyone else here to believe you somehow managed to land the Astrid Hofferson? The same one that has set peoples pants on fire, on live television, just for looking at her in a flirting manner? You might be new here Hiccup, but we aren't idiots in this shop. Well except maybe Tuff, but I only let him work here to ward off his sister." The older mechanic shot back, Eret had quickly become a friend to Hiccup in their shared experience with Gobber. The pair had spent days retelling their own tales of exploits they'd had apprenticing under him, Hiccup had been surprised how many on his own experiences were a virtual carbon copy of Eret's. Still he didn't mind, it helped him heal to know he wasn't the only one with such fond memories of his dad.

The bell from the front counter interrupted their banter, a man with a similar build to Eret, though clearly younger, was standing there. He had dark hair that was perfectly styled and his clothes looked expensive enough to buy a car or two that the mechanics were fixing presently. Clearing his throat and wiping his hands on her coveralls, Eret walked up to the counter to address the customer.

"Welcome to The Forge auto shop, what can I do for you today?"

The man gave Eret the once over and even spared a glance at Hiccup who was went back cleaning an engine he was rebuilding. "I brought my car by for a tune up, it doesn't seem to to be running quite right. Honestly not sure this dump can actually do the job, but you're the closest to where I'm staying." Hiccup tried to keep his face neutral, his dad had taught him that some people will try and degrade the ship in hopes of getting a discounted price; a tactic he countered by asking for more should he be able to. He was sure Eret had been given the same lesson, and it was his shop to make the calls when it came to prices.

The other morning shift employee, that Eret has mentioned earlier, was out today. He was a crazy blonde with dreads named Tuffnut of all things. Hiccup was annoyed originally, but with this guy inter shop he was suddenly thankful; the blonde boy would likely take offense and do something crazy in order to 'defend the honor of the shop' before anyone could stop him.

Eret rubbed his chin, while hmming in consideration. "Well it's probably just that you are too much of a meathead to take proper care of the vehicle." He responded, not batting an eye when Hiccup loudly choked. "Maybe I could get you something a little more you level of responsibility... I hear minivans are low maintenance." He grinned.

Hiccup was halfway to a panic attack when the men grabbed each other by the forearm and laughed together before bringing themselves in for a one armed hug. The man walked around and patted Eret on the shoulder while gaining his breathe back. "Eret, you bastard, you can never let me have to last word can you? This is why we were rivals when we were in the same age bracket!"

Eret laughed again and brought him in in the back, "Nah mate, that's just because I was better than you. All that strength couldn't break my armored hide in the long run. The fact that I'm smarter at verbal sparring is just icing on the cake, you'd be in real trouble if my new guy here learned the lines he can and can't cross with you, he'd be outwitting us both."

Hiccup was waved over and with a degreased of caution approached the pair. "Hiccup this here is Thuggory, and ole friend and former rival of mine from my fighter days. He's from Meathead for the showdowns and always comes and visits when he's in town." Thuggory offered his hand, which Hiccup shook. "So was the car bit ture or just the only thing you could think of?" Eret asked on a slightly more business type tone.

"A little of both, it's running good; but now as great as it used to. I've tried all the regular maintenance stuff you've taught me, but nothing seems to be working; thought you might take a look and I could treat you to dinner for old times sake?" Thuggory told him.

"Hiccup, why don't you take a crack at it? You seem to have a eye for problems where others can't seem to find them. You get it fixed and I'll convince Thug here to get us box seats for the showdowns in a few days." Weren't offered, he knew the younger man was actually more talented than him in the field of being a mechanic, but was secure enough in his own abilities. Besides Hiccup preferred to be working on the cars than dealing with the business side of things.

Hiccup walked outside the main garage and guessed the muscle car was Thuggory's. The man had been kind enough to unlock it so Hiccup could pop the hood and look over the engine, it didn't take long to see one of the belts was getting ready to snap; an easy replacement that he could have done shortly. Just as he was about to shut the shit the hood, he noticed something. Something that shouldn't be apart of the car. Reaching his hand in, Hiccup pulled out a small black box that had been nestled safely behind the coolant. It had a transceiver built into it which quickly blinked off once removed.

Hiccup walked back to the shops intending to tell Thuggory what he found, but stopped when he overheard him mention Astrid.

"I'm telling you Eret, with this year being my last in the 17-20 bracket I need to impress Hofferson this time. Every year she's turned me down, saying she can't date a guy she's beaten in the showdowns. So I've spent the last year really training to withstand her fire and that deceptive strength. Once I come out on top this week, I'm finally taking her out on a date." The Meathead resident was explaining to Eret, who had spotted Hiccup entering. The eldest of the three gave him a look, one that Hiccup could clearly read.

_You really think you could get her when this guy can't?_

Call it petty, but in that moment Hiccup didn't care. He hid the black box behind his back and silently grabbed a spare belt to fix the car with. He had no doubts that Astrid would win, and he knew he had no claim to her; but jealously rarely operates in the realm of logic and it was running wild throughout Hiccup's body. He'd find out what the box was about later, for now he was going to get the vehicle running again and go call a gorgeous blonde to see how her day went.


	5. 5

Hiccup had been up for nearly an hour when his phone began to ring. He didn't mind seeing Astrid's name displayed on the screen, he answered and put it on speaker so he could continue with his current task. "Morning M'lady, to what do I owe this pleasure at such an early hour?" He answered, her chuckle on the other end of the line making the cheesy delivery worth it.

"Oh nothing much, I actually didn't know you were up. I had planned on leaving a voicemail to see if you maybe wanted a ticket to the showdowns this week, I usually get a handful of them but only Heather and her crazy brother come." Astrid explained, her labored breathing and constant quick footfalls telling Hiccup she was out for an early morning run.

"Well I was actually going to call you this afternoon and surprise you. Eret had a friend drop by the shop and offered us tickets as payment for a quick tune up, said they were box seats I think?" Hiccup told her as he managed to finally crack the encryption on the black box he'd found in Thuggory's car.

"Oh really? Well then you'll end up in the same place regardless, must have been one of the top ranked from another gifted city, they're the only ones gifted tickets to the box seating. Usually the top ranked fighters are allowed up there before everything starts to visit with the big wigs that paid for those seats, guess I'll actually have someone to look forward to seeing this year; at least someone who I don't live with currently." That was a lot of information that Hiccup wasn't aware of, it distracted him enough to have him picking up his phone and turning off the speaker so he could continue talking to her.

"Was that a proposition M'lady? I mean, there's plenty of room in the loft my dad left me; but shouldn't we go on our date before you talk about moving in?" He teased. Astrid laughed so hard he could guess she had to stop her run just to catch her breath. He didn't need to tell her that he wasn't exactly opposed to the idea.

"Muttonhead." She answered jovially once she caught her breath, Hiccup could hear her resume her run at a slightly decreased pace. "As flattering as that idea may be, I just meant that Heather is my roommate and Dagur only comes for the fights. Heather asked him to stop a few years ago, but he still enjoys watching them. Why are you up this early anyway? I thought you had the day off."

"I do, but something with that guy Thuggory's car caught my attention, I'm looking into it just to be safe." Hiccup explained, ignoring Astrid's scoff at Thuggory's name; but also glad she found the very mention of him scoff worthy. "It's probably nothing, but you never know."

Astrid's pace picked up again before she spoke. "Well ok, my run usually ends at the coffee shop near you so I can get some water or tea at the end. Since your awake would you like to meet me there in say twenty minutes?" Hiccup couldn't agree fast enough, not even bothering to shut down his laptop as he dressed and rushed out the door. Completely forgetting about the black box and what information it held, that was popping up on his screen.

—————

Their meet for coffee was an uneventful one. Astrid decided on water while Hiccup had coffee and bought them something to eat while they talked. Astrid could hardly contain her excitement that he'd not only be attending the showdowns, but that she'd get to see him before the actual event began. Had he been in the regular seats she'd have to look for him, but in the box seats she'd be able to go right up to him and talk.

They spent the next hour until Hiccup got a call to cover a shift at work talking about the other fighters she knew would be making an appearance, most of which she's had a match or two against before. Neither brought up Thuggory; him out of not wanting to think about what he'd overheard, and her simply from lack of interest. The showdowns would begin the day after next and Astrid was devoting much of her time to training and prep, Hiccup was understanding and even offered his best wishes.

When the call came Hiccup sighed, time with Astrid just never seemed to last long enough. It was a feeling unlike he'd ever experienced before, it was almost supernatural in how fast their connection had developed. Knowing he couldn't linger or he'd be late, he stood and threw their trash in the bin before taking a leap of faith and kissing her cheek like he had the other night and bid her luck on her training once more.

After the doors closed behind him and he was well past the windows, Astrid flipped back in her seat and let out a contented breath. She'd spent more time than she'd ever admit pondering why this guy in particular made her act like such a girl. Heather had gleefully taken to getting revenge for all the teasing about Fishlegs that Astrid had given her in the past, especially when Astrid requested a shopping trip when she hates frivolous shopping. Astrid was used to male attention, Snotlout and Thuggory often made attempts to woo her; both uniformly failing. Hiccup was different than any other guy she'd met, and not just because he was ungifted. There had been guys who she deemed worthy of a date with, some even got more than one; but none compared to the inexplicable draw she felt toward the lanky auburn haired man that was constantly in the back of her mind. If Astrid was completely honest it felt a bit like a Shakespearean romance with how quickly it formed.

Heather was shooting her a knowing look from the counter, Astrid merely smirked and motioned to Fishlegs who was cleaning a table. The blush that spread over her friend's face was enough to satisfy her for now, at least Astrid was actually doing something about her crush.

—————

Hiccup got finished with work later than he expected. The last car had been stubborn with getting the engine block back in properly and Tuffnut had used all the grease to make a strange chicken painting of some kind, Hiccup wisely chose not to ask. Chucking off his shoes by the door, Hiccup grabbed a soda from the fridge and sat on the sofa. The intent to binge watch The Dragon Prince on Netflix was forgotten when he noticed his laptop still open on the desk.

Remembering what he had been doing before Astrid had called that morning, the boy woke the computer and his eyes widened at what he found there.

Files.

There was a detailed file on a handful of fighters, all present in New Berk for the showdowns. Thuggory's was currently displayed in front of the others, incomplete due to: observer removal. Looking back at the black box, Hiccup gave it a more thorough examination. He found sensors in the corners, all connected yet disabled.

While incomplete, the file on Thuggory did have information on his gift as well as a win/loss ratio followed by tactics based on what info was available. Hiccup, quickly started rifling through them until he found the one he was searching for, much to his dismay. The file on Astrid Hofferson was there in it's entirety and had a total breakdown of her abilities, including her preferred fighting style and her flaws in fighting technique.

Someone was gathering intel on the gifts of the participants in the showdowns, but who and for what purpose? Hiccup thought about taking this to the police, but the box was dead now and the info was on his computer; at best he'd be arrested for the invasion of privacy himself. The only real option he had was to talk to Eret, Thuggory and Astrid; tell them about what he's found and see if they can spread the information to the other fighters with files on them. Hopefully one of them would know why they were all being 'observed' and have a possible suspect for who is behind this.

—————

A beautiful blonde with her hair braided over her left shoulder walked into the shop, Eret immediately recognized her from interviews and his own attendance to sanctioned matches between fighters. Astrid Hofferson was a sight to behold, and not just because she was gorgeous, she carried herself with a confidence that few could hold a candle to. It was then he noticed she was looking around trying to find something of maybe someone. Eret thought for a briefest of moments about Hiccup's claims that the two had a date planned for the coming weekend, but quickly dismissed the notion; she must had heard about Thug being there recently.

"Well soil my britches! The Astrid Hofferson in my shop, this is truly an honor." He said in way of greeting, the blonde didn't seem bother as she kindly shook his hand with a smile before her gaze once more drifted to the shop beyond him. "Is there something I can help you with? Your car need an oil change or a tube up perhaps?" He asked.

"No, sorry nothing like that." She said, brings her focus back to him for a moment. "I'm actually looking for Hiccup, he text me last night and asked if I could stop by today, said that there was something he needed to show me and it had to be in person."

That threw Eret for a loop. "You know Hiccup?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I bumped into him his first day in town and showed him around a bit. We actually have a date planned this weekend." The shop owner felt the blood drain from his face, Hiccup was never going to let him live this down. Then the reason she was here clicked in his mind, the younger man had asked him to get Thuggory here around lunch as well for the same reason. Speak of the devil, Thuggory walked in and like a bloodhound his attention was immediately set upon Astrid.

When Hiccup came to the front desk a minute later he found Eret standing between an irate Astrid, whose fists were set in attack position, and Thuggory, who was already sporting a nosebleed. Eret was doing his best to placate the furious blonde, but making little headway as her fists were tightening and scowl deepening. Hiccup considered watching to see how it all played out, his boss couldn't really hold it against him after dismissing his claims about his plans with Astrid as false.

Ultimately he decided to be merciful.

A simple hand on her shoulder seemed to dispel any murderous intent from Astrid's being, as if she knew if was him from just the touch. She turned to him with a smile and seemed to forget about the other two men entirely, the looks on their faces was one of salvation from certain death. After a quick hug, Hiccup recalled why he got the two fighters to come in the first place.

"I'm really sorry Astrid, I should've warned you I was trying to get you both here, I discovered something that affects several showdown participants and you two are the only ones I knew how to get in touch with." He explained while leading the three to his flat.

"I forgive you Hiccup, but you're buying me ice cream after dinner this weekend." She retorted, the gleam in her eye made the other men uncomfortable as they sat as far from her as the couch allowed, despite her sitting in the lounge chair.

"Fair enough." Hiccup conceded before opening his laptop and bringing up the files he uncovered.

Their reactions varied, from a shocked Eret, to a confused Thuggory, and a seething Astrid. The meathead spoke first, "So you found this box in my car? And I was somehow gathering information on me? How does that even work?"

"From what I could figure out; there are small sensors on the box that could actually detect and analyze your gift when in a certain proximity to you. But in your car it couldn't have gotten data on other fighters, so I can only guess there are others and they are networked to pool the info they collect and share it for whoever is behind all this." Hiccup answered, he had tried to reactivate the black box to see if he could back trace it to a source, but the thing had been fried curtsy of a small emp emitter; too small to effect anything other than the box itself. It was an insurance policy in case someone did exactly what Hiccup had.

"Hiccup, are these all the files you found on that thing? Or are there more?" Astrid asked as she cycled through them, she'd finally calmed enough from her own file's 'technique flaw' section to grasp the larger meaning of this discovery.

"These are all the ones I found;" Hiccup said with a frown, "if there are more, then they either haven't been added yet or still need to have a box planted near them."

Astrid scanned the names once more. "I don't think there will be anymore than what you've found here, all of these gifted are the favorites to win at the showdowns. With them starting tomorrow there's no time for them to get a comprehensive analysis of any other fighters... except maybe Snotlout." The mention of the Jorgenson caused all of them to roll their eyes.

"Well whoever did this wanted details on the best of you." Hiccup stayed, "That leads me to believe either someone's is planning to recruit you for something, making plans to neutralize you if needed, or it could be as simple as someone cheating in order to win at the showdowns."

The other three shared a look, then Astrid set a suspicious glare upon Thuggory who quickly raised his hands in surrender. "Hey I may want to win, but I wouldn't stoop so low as to cheat. Even I have some sense of honor."

Hiccup chuckled, "I doubt Thuggory would install a device to gather intel on himself if it could be found like this. The person behind it wanted it don't quickly over covertly." He indicated to Astrid and Thuggory, "if you two have a way of contacting any of the others in these files, I think it best we let them know. We can take the element of surprise away from the the people behind this and maybe claim it for ourselves."

The fighters nodded and both pulled out their phones, comparing who they had contact with. Some would have to pass the message on to others, but theoretically they should be able to warn everyone with a file on them. As the first calls were made, Hiccup breathed a sigh of relief that he may have helped avoid something injust. Now all he had to do was keep an eye open for any hints at the actual showdowns.


	6. 6

Excitement was palpable in the air as Hiccup and Eret approached the stadium where the showdowns would be held. All around them were vendors and even game stalls, it reminded Hiccup of when his dad had taken him to the a local festival when he was a child. The only thing missing is a ridiculous amount of people singing country music and a stall selling Chocolate Dipt Bacon.

"Astrid said it the showdowns were a popular event, but I never expect this." He said to Eet as the pair watched a couple children trying their hand at the fish toss game, one managing to land their ping pong ball in a winning bowl and given a goldfish.

"Aye it's pretty much one of the biggest happenings in New Berk." Eret answered, "Especially when it's held here. They actually rotate it through the gifted cities so we host it every six years, you lucked out to move here when you did." Somewhere off in the distance someone managed to ring the ludicrously tall bell tower game.

"Yeah, I'm not sure lucky is the word I'd use." Hiccup shot back sarcastically, "In the short time I've been here, I've been harassed by a guy trying to impress Astrid, involved in and helped stop a robbery at the Mayor's house, and possibly uncovered a cheating scandal for this very event...". He counted off the less than fortunate happenings he'd been involved with, but every interaction with Astrid far outweighed them.

It had taken several hours, a couple compromises, and an agreement to a sparring session, but they'd managed to contact all the participants with files on them and informed them of what had happened. In the interest of making everything in the showdowns fair, only Hiccup and Eret has been allowed to look at the files, to eliminate the temptation of anyone having an unfair advantage. Most of them had agreed without hesitation, the event was meant to be a show of goodwill and sportsmanship, so no one really wanted to cheat. They discussed with them all and came to an agreement if someone seemed to perform too well against them, or seemingly won too easily that it be shared with the group. All in all they'd formed a bit of a pact with the other contestants.

The fact they had managed that before the start of the showdowns simply amazed Hiccup, he wasn't used to seeing much cooperation between people who were technically all rivals for the next few days. Astrid had lightly punched his arm when he expressed the feeling and told him that's just how things worked with them, and that he best get use to it; she kissed him quickly when no one was looking after he agreed to her terms.

Now the day of the showdowns was here and Hiccup couldn't help the nerves he felt running through them. He had learned that Astrid was the competitive type that first day they met over coffee, and he wanted to see her do well. After all isn't that what someone in his position should want? They hadn't had an official first date yet since the mayor's party was mostly to get in touch with Stoick, not that he regretted that night, so he was hesitant to call himself her boyfriend or even say he's dating her proper. Hopefully after this coming weekend he'd have a firmer grasp on what their relationship is.

Hiccup had been so lost in his musings about Astrid and his relationship with her, that he didn't notice that they'd made their way to the box seats where they'd be watching the showdowns for over the next couple days. There was already a decent sized group of people gathered around chatting amiably, Eret even seemed to know a few as he took off in their direction to join in on the conversation. It wasn't hard to figure out the top rankers weren't present yet, the inexplicable draw he felt towards Astrid when she was nearby wasn't pulling him in any direction.

He did however spot a familiar head of raven hair in a braid similar to Astrid's. He worked his way over toward Heather to find her in a seemingly heated discussion with someone. He was a buff man with carrot colored hair and claw marks tattooed over one of his eyes; he also sported some scarring on e side of his face. While the discussion looked heated, neither appeared to be too angry with the other.

Figuring he should step in and hopefully not get mauled, Hiccup approaches the pair and tapped Heather on the shoulder. "Hi, you're Heather right? Astrid's friend and roommate I believe." He said as she faced him and he spotted the spark of recognition.

"I recognize you from the coffee shop, that must make you the infamous Hiccup. I have to say I'm impressed, all the years I've known Astrid and I've never seen her act so smitten over a guy; you must be something special". She said with a smirk, it only grew wider when the boy's face grew red. She indicated the man beside her and introduced them, "This is my brother Dagur, he considers Astrid like family so you might find him a tad protective."

The man in question stepped forward and seemed to examine the lanky man before him, his eyes seemed to speak his skepticism in their own way. After a moment he thrust his hand forward, "Pleasure to meet you Hiccup. Astrid is a great judge of character so I'm not too terribly worried." Hiccup grinned then grasped the buff man's hand and shook it, only to be pulled in close as Dagur whispered in his ear. "But if you should hurt her in any way, I will hunt you down and fry your corpse til it resembles jerky, are we clear?"

Hiccup swallowed before pulling back to look thin in the eye. "Crystal. Though I think we both know I wouldn't last long enough for you to follow through since Astrid would reduce me to ashes first."

A manic smile broke out on Dagur's face, followed by him throwing his head back and laughing loudly, as well as a bit disturbingly. "I like this guy!" He proclaimed for all to hear while slapping Hiccup on the shoulder, "He knows how things would play out better than most. You officially have my blessing, treat my adopted sis right now Brother."

Before Hiccup could even think to question his new title, the doors opened once more to reveal the top ranked fighters of each city. The three in front were the ones they had got in touch with fairly easily, Hiccup couldn't recall their names off the top of his head, and was busy looking for another member among them. The two men and the girl went to speak with various people of importance around the room, while Cami walked in behind them.

The short girl with unruly blonde hair had certainly made an impression, she refused to even meet with them until Astrid had agreed to a no holds barred sparring match after the showdowns, apparently the two had been rivals for some time. Cami, better known as Camicaze in the fighting circuits, felt the rules on engagement during the sanctioned fights were too stifling and prevented the fighters from truly challenging one another. Astrid was ready to wave the whole deal off and risk the cheater knocking the shorter girl out of the competition until she noticed Hiccup and began flirting with him, all it took was one glance at the discomfort on his face to have Astrid yanking the Cami back by her hair and agreeing to her terms.

Behind Cami was the large back of Thuggory. It was clear that he was trying to convince the person his attention was focused on to agree to something, but said person was having none of it as she placed a hand on his side and seemingly effortlessly shoving him aside.

Astrid strode I'm with all the confidence of a modern day Valkyrie. She didn't bother with any of the bigwigs, barely even sparing the mayor a nod in greeting; her attention was focused entirely on Hiccup. At least he thought it was, it's possible it was on the group of himself, Heather, and Dagur; of which he was standing in he center of. He didn't have time to ponder that as she reached them and immediately threw her arms around his neck to pull him into a hug.

Hiccup returned the hug without pause, but didn't miss the smirks of Heather and Dagur's faces, or the narrowed eyes of Thuggory before he turned to speak with Eret rather suddenly. Hiccup recalled the snippet of conversation he'd unintentionally over heard between the two men about Thuggory's hopes of impressing Astrid, but couldn't find it in himself to feel bad.

The next half hour was filled with small talk, Astrid stayed close to him and the D'range siblings as he got to know them better and told them a bit about himself in return. Heather had just finished up a cute story about a time in the coffee shop when Fishlegs had purposely given her a mixed up order for a laugh, a tale that earned her quite a bit of robbing from her bestie/roommate and older brother; Hiccup settled for soft laughter, when a tune played through the speakers. Everyone turned their attention towards the large screens in various areas of the stadium, it bore the symbols of both the Gifted and New Berk City, and those wearing hats removed them respectfully.

'Today we honor the heroes of our fair city. Twenty years ago today saw the end of a time of despair and fear for all Berkians, when the Breaker Rebellion was quelled once and for all...'

The word 'breaker' caught Hiccup's attention, the train ride into the city had mentioned a 'Breaker Purge' that he hadn't thought much of at the time. "The train video mentioned something about breakers too, what are they talking about?" Hiccup whispered to Astrid, not paying attention to the video which was going over the historical relevance at the same time.

"Breakers were a menace to the Gifted. They all had the same ability, unlike gifted, to disrupt our ability to use our power. They 'broke' it in a sense, if one managed to get their hand on a gifted person they practically an ordinary human for awhile. A few even were powerful enough to permanently destroy people's gifts, it terrified everyone. I know it's a bad and somewhat insensitive comparison but it's not unlike losing your leg, a part of you is gone and won't come back; my parents told me how they lived in fear that at any moment a crazed breaker might come at them and try to break their abilities, I can't imagine what it would be like if they still existed."

Astrid explained quietly, there were things she left out and details skipped, but they weren't important to the overall history. Hiccup nodded his head before they turned back to the screen across from their spot as it wrapped up.

'And now we'd like to take a moment to honor those who took part in the Purge, those living, those who have passed since, and especially those who gave either their life or their gift to protect our way of life. Please stand for and give round of applause for the men still with us this day!'

A large group of men marched out of a tunnel to the center of the arena and waved to the crowd, Hiccup managed to spy Stoick among them, his fiery beard acting like a highlighter. The mountain of a man turned toward the VIP section and spotted him before offering a found wave of his hand, Hiccup sheepishly waved back as did Astrid.

'And now, a moment of silence as we honor those who have joined the Gods in Valhalla.'

A slideshow began, playing a melancholy song in the background, of the men who either died in the Purge, or since. A minute in and Hiccup saw a familiar name: Finn Hofferson. His hand immediately found Astrid's, she squeezed his in thanks. Her uncle's picture had the years of his birth and death on it, Hiccup noted he died almost ten years ago. For the remainder of the slideshow, the pair held hands; which allowed Astrid to squeeze Hiccup's hand again when Gobber B. Smith's photo was shown. Hiccup almost missed the mayor saluting the picture from us spot on the ground, but the movement just managed to draw his eye. The show ended with a group picture of the men who fought that day, the screen faded to black and the song ended with cheers rising from every corner of the stadium, people expressing their thanks for heroes past.

Everyone in the VIP section took their seats, including the six top ranked fighters. Hiccup quirked an eyebrow as Astrid filled the seat next to him, he only got a smile in response. A brief glance past her revealed the other six fighters also taking seats among the people in the area, so Hiccup took that as a sign that this was normal procedure and returned her smile. The pair slipped heir hands under the armrest to intertwine their fingers before focusing on the stadium field once more.

A number a people had begun filing out of the tunnels and scattered around the edge of the arena, the large screens displaying pictures of them along with their name and the city they were representing; the announcer had been explaining the rules of the event but in his shock from Astrid apparently being a spectator for this round, Hiccup missed most of the details. From what he did hear, he gathered this was a free for all to whittle down the numbers for a more structured bracket base tournament for the 'big six' and the top six contenders from this bout.

On Hiccup's left Dagur was on the edge of his seat with a manic gleam in his eye as the screen displayed a countdown for the fight to start. When it hit zero, both men immediately noticed something was off.

The buzzer sounded and suddenly all the contestants flew at the closest opponent in a seemingly blind rage. The fights were more brutal and animalistic than the coordinated and tactical fights Astrid had gushed about when they had coffee, for the first few swings no one even bothered to use their gift.

Dagur wasn't the most stable or even graceful fighter in his time, but even he could tell this wasn't how it should be. It wasn't until Snotlout roared in a berserk rage and his body became alight with flame that the gifts began to fly. The crowd didn't seem to notice anything amiss and merely cheered all the more as the first fighter was hurled across the field and into a barrier set up by a defensive gifted, he was unconscious before he hit the ground.

Snotlout managed to incapacitate his first victim by locking them into what was essentially a bear hug and burning them until they passed out from either the pain or the heat. Despite his less than stellar impression of the man, Hiccup didn't peg him as the kind that would fight dirty, Astrid confirmed his suspicion by making a similar comment aloud. Snotlout didn't even reveal in his victory, he locked onto the next nearest fight and charged in while leaving a small trail of flame behind him.

It wasn't until then that Hiccup noticed an anomaly among the chaos below. There was one young man that wasn't partaking in the brawl, despite his presence on the field. He stood in the shadows and watched with a barely noticeable smirk that screamed trouble on Hiccup's mind. Quietly he pulled up the included tablet from his chair and began cycling through the listed fighters, just as he found the matching picture, the buzzer sounded once again.

Looking back to the field, there were now only six few standing, the area looked like a disaster zone. There were scorch marks, explosive craters, an ice spike, and quite a bit of blood scattered across the clay field. The man Hiccup noticed and Snotlout were among those left and the lanky man noted the confused expression on all but one face of the six.

"Well... that was quite an exciting match! In all my years of hosting these events I've never seen such drive from our contestants, give our six contenders a round of applause everybody!!!"

The crowd went wild, standing as they cheered and whistled for those moving onto the next round of the competition. The VIP section was no exception as everyone save two stood and clapped, though both Astrid and Heather wore concerned looks on their faces.

Hiccup looked back at the tablet in his hand, at the picture of a buff auburn hair man that hailed from the city of Outcast. Dagur leaned over and spied the picture as well before giving him a nod that he too he noticed the odd man out. They silently agreed on something in treat moment:

They needed to keep an eye on the man named Hroar.

**A/n: I apologize for this taking so long, between the local festival in my home town, my brother coming down with his family(had to spend time with my adorable five mont old niece and nephew) and starting a new twelve hour overnight shift at work; this fell on wayside a bit. I will do my best to return to a semi normal update schedule again, but it might take a little time. **


	7. 7

When the crowd finally settled down a team of healing gifted rushed the field and began to attend to those who had participated in the free for all. Most were patched up fairly quick, however the guy Snotlout had burnt would need extended treatment for the third degree burns that had been inflicted upon him.

The remainder of the day's event was a collection of contest based events where fighters not participating in the tournament would compete with each other in games where they'd use their gifts to liven up the competition. The crowd enjoyed the festivities well enough, always cheering when the more flashy gifts were displayed. Hiccup didn't pay much attention, he had been studying up on Hroar; there wasn't much information on his profile other than his city and the name given for his gift: chant.

Dagur, while paying more attention to the festivities, was also glancing over the man's available information. He'd pulled up a page with each candidate's known stats and the two were concerned to find unknown listed for several on them; it didn't help that the ones that were known were fairing high up in the ten point scaling system that was being used.

Physical strength: 7, slightly higher than Astrid's rating of 6 but her speed was higher at 8 while his was a 5; that could make a difference. Their endurance ratings both sat at 7 so if the two ended up facing each other they were essentially going to see who could outlast the other. The real concern was his gift range; with a rating of 8 meant his chant might be able to affect anyone on the field with him, if Hiccup was right in his assumption about the man's gift then that would give Hroar the advantage in pretty much any fight.

Hiccup was so engrossed in his thoughts that the events wrapped up and the four contestants with the highest scores were given the honor of participating in the tournament the next day. Astrid and Heather hadn't shown much concern for the upcoming fights and seemed to let the brutality of the fight early roll of their backs like water off a duck, they were busy chatting about how they would have gone about the different tasks and easily won. Dagur was silent, the man hadn't said much since the fight started.

Hiccup and Astrid bid the siblings farewell as they spilt up and headed toward his flat, Astrid deciding she wanted a bit of time alone with the man she was becoming fond of so quickly. Upon learning that she had never seen one of his favorite sci-fi series Hiccup, in mock offense, playfully demanded they watch it together. The next few hours saw the pair lounging on the sofa with snacks and drinks and Hiccup smugly watching Astrid become wrapped up in the story of the show, he could already tell she wanted Captain Carter and Colonel O'Neill to get together.

"That episode was so crazy!" She exclaimed as the credits began to roll, it was their last episode for the day as she had to get home early to be well rested enough for the upcoming tournament the next day; "I mean the idea that Daniel and the Doctor were both resistant because of allergies? How did they think of that? And this has nine more seasons?"

Hiccup couldn't keep the smile off his face to save his life, "And two direct to video movies." He told her with some pride at knowing he'd found something for her to enjoy when she wasn't training.

"Well we are definitely watching more of this." Astrid decided before looking back at him a little uncertainly, "You don't mind watching it with me do you?"

"I'd be delighted too M'lady."

The smile that lit her face could've put the sun to shame were it still out. Hiccup knew in that moment, date or no date, that he could search the world over for the next thousand years and never find a girl as amazing as the one in front of him; even if she could fry him to a crisp with her bare hands. The pair bid one another goodnight as Hiccup saw her out, he'd offered to walk her home, but she wisely pointed out he still didn't know the city too well and would likely get lost. She left him with a quick kiss that made his head spin before taking off down the street with that blinding smile once more.

Neither noticed a group of four individuals at the corner watching them.

"So that the one the boss wants to go for? Don't look too tough, bet we could handle 'em ourselves." A burly one said to the others.

"Maybe, but boss says we do it as a group. He knows how this works better than we do, after all he is a ranked fighter unlike the rest of us." Another answered, "And besides, if he could do it on his own he wouldn't have us watching would he? Must mean they're pretty strong since he mopped the floor with all of us when he took control. So if he's worried about this one then we follow his lead."

The men dispersed was the blonde girl vanished around the corner, the burly guy looked back to the door where the pair of lovebirds had kissed goodnight, reminding him that he needed to get flowers for his own girl. Their boss was a strong fighter and had come up with a brilliant way for them to up their own reputation using his position in the rankings, but something about this one felt different; and he couldn't put his finger on it.

The next day Hiccup entered the VIP area a little late, he missed the first couple matches; but thankfully not Astrid's. Dagur explained to him that the pairs for the matches was not random and were actually matched so that none of the top ranked fighters would meet until the later matches, and based on the bracket that Astrid and Cami were likely to meet in the final match.

As Dagur was going over his predictions for each individual match, there was an uproar within the crowd as Astrid entered the platform for her first match. The two men fell silent as they turned their attention towards the blonde, her opponent was one of the winners of the games from the previous day with a gift that allowed him to produce energy rings and hurl them at his foes. Hiccup was convinced that Astrid could easily win this fight, Dagur concurred but knew Astrid was a good sport despite her competitive side; and he was right. Astrid gave a god show of letting her opponent show off his gift and make him look good for the crowd, after a few minutes of dodging his attacks and sending the occasional stream of flame in his direction; she suddenly bull rushed the man using her fire to propel herself forward. He was caught off guard and was unable to recover before Astrid delivered a firm kick to his midsection that sent him tumbling off the platform and ending the match.

The crowd applauded and cheered. Hiccup, Dagur and Heather did as well, drawing a few annoyed glances from some of the more uppity VIP's in the box. Hiccup managed to catch the moment when Astrid turned her gaze toward them and smile brightly as she waved in their direction before she exited the arena, Heather's elbow in his ribs told him that it wasn't a common occurrence without a word being exchanged.

With the conclusion of Astrid's first match the quarter finals would start in ten minutes, allowing the combatants to see healing gifted if necessary or get focused for the next match and giving the crowd time to build anticipation or visit the concession stands. Consulting the tablet provided for him, Hiccup found that Astrid was up against Snotlout next; he didn't fight the smirk as he already knew the outcome and knew Astrid might enjoy this match the most with how much Snotlout tended to bother her. He noticed that Thuggory was in the match after them and if he won would face Astrid in the semifinals. Cami was up against Hroar for her match, Hiccup now sincerely hopes he was wrong about the man's gift. The final match was between the last top ranked fighter and a low tanker that could give himself energy claws.

Astrid and Snotlout began their match, but it wasn't hard to tell that Snotlout wasn't giving it his all. In fact based on his sluggish movements and the look on his face, Hiccup could tell something was off. The stocky boy had immediately set himself ablaze and charged Astrid, but from what she had told Hiccup this was a tactic that he should know won't work; Astrid nimbly dodged to the side and Hiccup managed to catch the concerned look on her face, Snotlout merely kept charging at her until she moved closer to the edge of the arena. Once he noticed her position he really laid on the speed. Astrid moved out of the way once more and he simply ran off the stage, effectively disqualifying himself and throwing the match.

The crowd was less than impressed and was jeering, but Astrid went to Snot and offered him her hand. He graciously took it and the pair left the field together. Hiccup made a mental note to ask Astrid about the boys behavior later. Despite his overbearing attitude and belief that Astrid was fighting her feelings for him, it did appear that she considered him a friend to some extent. Knowing that the semifinals and final match would take place tomorrow, Hiccup knew Astrid was done with her matches for the day and would make her way up to the box in order to watch the remaining bouts with him and the Berserk siblings; he grabbed a bottled water to give her upon arriving.

Sure enough a few minutes later just before the next match started the blonde entered; her face scrunched in thought but immediately relaxed into an easy smile when she spotted her friends. She took the bottle from Hiccup gratefully and took a quick chug, downing a quarter of the water in one go. "Snotlout's behavior got you that concerned?" Hiccup asked, she shouldn't have been surprised he was able to pick up on it.

Astrid nodded, "He didn't feel like he deserved to make it past the prelims." She answered, "Said he doesn't remember anything after they started and was horrified by what he did to a couple of the other competitors; especially that kid with the severe burns. If whatever happened during that brawl has Snot worried, then it's something that needs to be addressed." Hiccup nodded in agreement as the crowd roared to life once more, they'd been talking and not paying attention to the fights so they hadn't noticed that Thuggory had won a decisive victory, he'd be Astrid's first opponent the next day in the semifinals.

Dagur stood from his chair and approached the pair, "Well that's probably all the interesting matches for today. Cami will win her fight and it doesn't really matter who wins the last one, either way it's you and her in the finals."

Astrid spared the man a smirk, "And here I thought you never skip the opportunity to watch a fight. Something about being close to the action again?"

Dagur had the grace to look sheepish. "I'm trying to back away from it slowly... Heather won't ever say anything, but I know she's worried I'll want back in." He looked over his shoulder where Heather was in conversation with Eret and another person, the three could faintly hear her mentioning the Ingerman's café. "Heather and I are all the family either of us has left, and the idea of losing her in any fashion is unbearable. That's reason enough for me, I'll still catch all your fights though; so don't worry." Dagur whispered to them and shot a friendly wink to the blonde.

Once more the crowd came to life, louder than it had all day, only there was a mixed reaction about them. The trio all caught that and went to check what it was all about...

Only to see Hroar standing over a defeated Cami.


End file.
